Pages

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Watch: Rhye Live At Le Poisson Rouge NYC

While the first half of 2013 has been full of great albums, none have been attached to such buzz about something other than the music as Woman by Rhye. With slow grooves, an overabundant sensuality, and silken vocals from lead singer Mike Milosh, the smoky mystique in their music was only heightened before its release by their lack of personal physical imagery anywhere. There are little to no photos of the duo, made up of Mike Milosh and Robin Hannibal, who chose to (gasp!) have listeners focus on their music instead of what they look like. This lack of actual images leaves it up to the listener to create an imagery in their mind based only on what they can hear in the music- a concept they have managed to take into the live sphere and that adds a unique layer to their music. The album was recorded while both members were separated from their significant others for an extended period, and that longing is captured in their music, thanks to its slow grooves and Milosh's insanely pristine higher register. I saw Rhye at the El Rey in LA a few weeks ago and discovered a band who was intent on recreating that sensual, longing feel from the album into an atmosphere on stage- a stage that was completely lacking in spotlights and instead relied on a few minor backlights and heavy use of candlelight, creating only shadows, silhouettes, and the music. Rhye recently took this experience to Le Poisson Rouge in NYC where it was (sort of?) captured by NPR. Check out the video below.